


Doing

by orochiis



Series: Living [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Ruby & Sapphire & Emerald | Pokemon Ruby Sapphire Emerald Versions
Genre: Angst, F/M, HoennChampionShipping, Romance, THIS IS SO LONG
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-13
Updated: 2015-08-13
Packaged: 2018-04-14 12:46:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4565178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orochiis/pseuds/orochiis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>May has always been better at doing things. So she does what she thinks is right- goes to look for Steven. May-Centric, ORAS based. HoennChampionShipping.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Doing

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so sorry for the length it got kinda out of hand

I have always been better at doing things.

 I am the sort of person you would describe as 'active'. I'm not climbing a tree every five seconds, but I enjoy being outside and moving about. Maybe that's why being a Pokémon trainer was so appealing to me?

 Was. Of course, this was in the past. I was taught by life how to wait. You wait until your dinner is ready. You wait until tomorrow. You wait until we move. You wait until you are old enough. I do not have enough finger and toes to count how many times I was told to wait.

 I became rather good at waiting, if I do say so myself. I decided Pokémon training wasn't for me, and I would _wait_ until I found something else that suited me. I got a job in Hoenn with Professor Birch, but I was still _waiting_ until I felt the job was right for me. I _waited_ to get better, and I still don't think that has happened.

 Of course, I feel a lot better now than I did back then. I don't have the urge to kill myself every second of my life thanks to my mother dragging me to the doctor. I took my medication. And I chant inside my head: you will be fine.

I'm not sure if I will be fine. But I am a doing person, and I will do my best to get better.

 And of course, once I finally went on my Pokémon journey, I was glad of the change. I enjoyed myself immensely. And boy, was I glad that I hadn't gone on the journey I had dreamed about back home in Johto.

 They described me as his protégé. I heard whispers while walking down the street. "I hear that girl is training with Steven Stone." "Is it true that the son of the Devon Corp CEO is looking out for some novice trainer?" "Hey, is that the Stone boy's apprentice?" I didn't know what they were talking about- Steven and I were friends. Unlikely friends, sure, but still. And yes, he did give me useful tips and free stuff from time to time, but I personally couldn't equate this to being an apprentice, or someone being trained by him.

 I was training all by myself, thank you very much.

 It surprised me to hear that it was Wallace that first used the phrase "protégé". He used it long before we ever met; the Water-Type gym leader and the enigmatic trainer in question were good friends, so it was only natural that Wallace knew of my existence.

 That's not to say I wasn't floored when Wallace used the word in front of me.

 "You must be the protégé of Steven Stone," he had drawled, flicking turquoise hair from his eyes. I gagged on my own spit. I could tell from his tone that he both was the source of the expression, and was aware of my annoyance.

 "We're friends," he explains, "he talks about you sometimes. Quite frequently in fact. He admires your talent." I had to make a conscious effort to stop the blush from climbing up my neck and turning my face red. Part of me wanted to ask exactly what he said about me, and another part wanted to punch Wallace in the stomach. I settled on a nice in between option.

 "I'm here for a gym battle, not idle chit-chat."

 I am not the smartest of people.

 Whenever I discovered that Steven was the reigning Hoenn League Champion, all my breath caught in my chest. Surely it had crossed his mind to mention it once? But no, he had just assumed I had known. As most people would've. I was probably the only person in the region who didn't know who he was. I blamed my common sense for this- after all, the signs were there. Steven, a strong Pokémon Trainer, wandering the region, offering advice to novice trainers and helping them out. We'll know and respected by all the gym leaders and other people in positions of power. Of /course/ he was the Champion. I was just too dense to notice it.

 I was slightly betrayed though, that he had never mentioned it. He could easily have casually slipped it into a conversation. When we were on Route 120, and I told him about not leaving for my journey. He said there he was a Pokémon Trainer, but didn't specify his class.

I thought back to the time I caught part of his inauguration on the TV. I only managed to witness a lot of hand waving, and loud female screaming. I guess I knew why, once I found out who exactly this new champion was.

 We had almost no time to talk personally after our battle, and the moment of madness (on my part) in the Hall of Fame. The only inkling I had that he was mildly interested in me after then was when we parted at the Mossdeep Space Centre. That was the last time we saw each other. There was a strange look in his eyes- longing? He knew this would be the last time.

I didn't. I naively went about my daily business for the next few weeks, cleaning up the mess from the meteor, along with the help of Brendan and Wally. It was only after all of this that I finally had enough time to visit Steven.

 But of course, he wasn't there. The note was there in place of him, the man I had come so far to see. I will admit that more than a few tears were shed there, but that is irrelevant now. Because there and then, I decided. I would not wait for Steven to come back.

 Life has taught me how to wait, and this time, I was defying what life had hammered in so well.

No, I would not be the damsel in distress in this story. No, I would not play the princess, waiting for the prince to come home. I would be the knight, ready for battle. I would find Steven, wherever he had taken himself off to, and I would beat the crap out of him.

 That was my initial thought, but upon pondering it further, I realised that I would most realistically end up crying in front of him and embarrass myself greatly.

I purchased a map from the department store in Lilycove City. It not only had a detailed map of Hoenn, but Kanto, Johto, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, you name it; it was on the map. Along with geographical features such as mountain ranges, it also described in detail each town, including their main exports and a rough estimate of their population. I took a red marker, and circled all the places I thought Steven might attempt going to.

I felt stupid saying it, but all the places I had ended up circling had some connection to stones in one way or another. Rock Tunnel in Kanto, as well as Pewter City in the same region. Pewter was famous for it’s museum- it was the first in the whole country to revive fossilised Pokémon, and the scientific team there had a great reputation. I felt it was a place Steven might visit, even if only briefly.

The Ruins of Alph in Johto were another location. I thought this one was more probable- even though Steven had never expressed a specific interest in mythology, I wouldn’t put it past him to visit the ruins purely for their archaeological prowess. Driftveil City in the Unova Region also had a large circle around it. It was home to one of Unova’s only mines, and I knew how much Steven liked that sort of thing (I never really got _why_ though). The whole of Unova was seeped in history, and I knew for a fact he wanted to travel there at some point. 

The Sinnoh Region was also covered in red circles. I knew he was friendly with the former champion, Cynthia, and she lived and worked in Celestic Town, so it was circled. Canalave City and Iron Island were also circled- they pretty much went together. Canalave boasted an impressive library, and the name of the small island only accessible by boat gave away why I had a hunch Steven would visit there. Oreburgh City was too; it was another city with a Museum, but it was home to Roark, underground spelunking genius. Another thing I knew about Steven was that he was really interested in visiting Sinnoh’s expansive underground network, as he could probably get some quality stones down there. 

I decided the best thing to do for now was to take each region as they came, asking about for Steven in the unlikely event that anyone had seen (or even heard of) him. By the time I was ready to leave, it had been seven weeks since I had last encountered Steven- in the Mossdeep Space Centre. I thought back to that day as I flew across the ocean on Altaria’s back.

The whole incident with Zinnia had only lasted a day and a half, despite how long it felt. And I was knocked out for roughly eight hours, which, when taken into consideration, made the whole event even longer. I had to play the part of Hoenn’s Hero once again, a role I was not fully willing to take on, especially not so soon after the thing with Team Magma. I flew about the region with Latios, my hair being whipped about and tangled madly by the wind. My clothes were unbelievingly dirty by the time I reached Mossdeep Space Centre that evening- I had spent the entire day crawling around in caves and participating in Pokémon Battles.

When Steven recited his plan to both me and the team at the space centre, he had me stand beside him. And beside him- he, who had been _inside_ most of the day, him, with his perfect hair and tidy suit- I looked a right mess. After this conversation, I was sent to find Wallace and get into the Sky Pillar. And after this conversation, I didn’t seen Steven again.  
  
Doubt always clouded my mind when I thought about Steven. Why did he leave in the first place? His note said he was training, so maybe he felt bad after I defeated him ad gained the champion title? Not that I was actually the Champion- I told him I didn’t want to be tied down at the league, but I would do Champion battles if needed to. I didn’t see the point in staying in that Champion room all the time- it would get boring after five minutes. Maybe it was something else? Maybe he had important business to attend to? But if it was, would he not have told me in person? And what would happen if I found him? Would he even be happy to see me? Or would he push me away?

I was so tied up in my thoughts that I didn’t notice when we had landed in Kanto until Altaria gave a friendly chirp.

“Thank you,” I told her, patting her on the back, and returning the graceful Pokémon to her Pokéball. I stretched; my muscles were tight after sitting for so long. Ah, Kanto. I hadn’t been here in so long. I visited the region often as a child, as it was only a train ride from my home in Goldenrod to Saffron City, the centre of the region. I concluded from the pink hue of the houses that I was in Fuchsia City, one of the most southerly places in the region. Taking my crumped map from my backpack, I figured I would have to fly again to reach any of the paces I wished to. Altaria was tired though, so it was probably best if I let her rest, and spent the night in the Pokémon Centre.

It had been a while since I had stayed in a Pokémon Centre- if I wanted to do any travelling back home, I had to stay either with friends or in a hotel- I was practically swarmed by what some people may have called fans if I went anywhere near a Pokémon Centre. Thankfully, I was a lot less recognisable outside of Hoenn, and I had the luxury of free accommodation restored to me.

I handed Altaria’s Pokéball over to Nurse Joy, who healed her up within minutes. Despite being a port town, Fuchsia was practically silent, and I couldn’t help but ask Nurse Joy why.

“Oh, I heard there is some celebrity visiting Saffron this week, so everyone from all over the region has travelled up there! I would go myself, but I have to work. I’m getting my cousin from the Pokémon Centre up there to get me an autograph, though!”  
  
“Who is it?” I asked casually. Would Steven count as a celebrity? I wasn’t sure if kinda-ex-champions were counted as celebrities, but what was I to know? I wasn’t one to follow all that kind of stuff. For all I knew, Steven could be really popular. His looks definitely set him apart from some of the Champions I had seen on the TV. 

“Champion Iris from Unova! She was recently inaugurated, and is making a formal tour. I hear she’s visiting all the capital cities!” My mood dropped. Something inside told me that it was going to be Steven, but I guess it wouldn’t be as easy as that. Still, I felt that as a fellow champion, I should at least be in the area.

“Thank you. How long does it take to get to Saffron from here?” I asked, taking Altaria’s Pokéball from her.

“Less than an hour if you’re flying, I would imagine. Oh, but people have been camping out for days! I’m afraid you probably won’t even get a glimpse of her.”  
  
“I’m sure I’ll be able to manage something. They always make exceptions for Champions, or so I’ve found.” I turned to leave, but she stopped me.

“Wait, do you mean to say… I knew I recognised you! You’re Champion May from Hoenn!” She suddenly dived under the counter, re-emerging with a slightly battered looking book. “This is my champions book! I have a page dedicated to you. Well, I say that… but it’s completely empty.”  
  
“May I see it?” I asked, and she pushed the book across the counter to me. I flicked it open, and saw a picture of a young Nurse Joy with Alder from Unova.  
  
“He was here a long time ago. Well, not here, but in Celadon. Now I think about it, he probably went there to do something gambling related. But I got a picture, and an autograph. That was the first one I collected, and I’ve been hooked ever since!”  
  
I continued to turn the pages. There was a picture with Blue- he had been the champion all 23 hours, but I had heard he was still proud of his title. His signature was scribbled underneath it. The next page had no picture, but three letters. R-E-D. They were printed, and I thought that it barely counted as an autograph, but hey. It was Red, what did I expect?

“I’m the most proud of that one. He came in here on day, and while his Pokémon were in the machine, I got him to sign this. He wouldn’t get a picture though, but this is enough for me!”

I turned yet another page. How many Champions had this woman met? There was Lance, with his cape wrapped around a blushing Nurse Joy. Even though she was most proud of her autograph from Red, it was obvious from this photo that Lance was her favourite champion. On the opposite page was a girl with pigtails that I vaguely recognised. Her signature was hard to read, but it seemed to say ‘Lyra’ in loopy handwriting.

 “Who is this?”

“That’s Lyra! She’s probably one of the most popular champions, and she actually comes here often. She became champion… five, six years ago?” It then clicked that this was the girl I had admired so much in the Pokéathlon all those years ago. It was strange to know that I was now on the same level as her.

The next page had a boy with messy hair on it, who looked wholly disinterested. His name was written as ‘Nate’, and this name was unfamiliar to me.

“He was the Unovan Champion. They’ve had a lot lately, but I think Iris will last a while.” I nodded, still having no clue who this was.

“I still need yours, Iris, Cynthia, and Diantha! But I’ve got you, so that leaves three! I never imagined any foreign champions would ever come into my Pokémon Centre, but that’s tow in the space of a couple of months! Maybe this place is a Champion magnet!” She laughed, but I turned the page, tuning her out. I knew full well who would be on the next page. And there he was, Steven Stone, looking as photogenic as ever. His signature wasn’t dissimilar to the name he had signed at the bottom of my note.

I turned another page, and taking the pen Nurse Joy handed me, singed my name at the bottom. It wasn’t fancy, like Steven’s, or pretty like Lyra’s, but it was me. Simple. But I noticed that the pen had bled through onto the other side, onto Steven’s page. My autograph may have been simple like me, but it was also angry. I attempted to smile while Nurse Joy got her Chansey to take a photo with us. (How it managed that, I have no idea). But it managed, and Nurse Joy seemed over the moon.

“Thank you so much, Champion May!”  
  
I bid her goodbye, leaving the Pokémon Centre. I released Altaria, and her soft tweeting soothed my nerves.

“Are you okay to fly, Altaria?” I took the long blink I received in response as a yes, and clambered onto the Pokémon’s fluffy back.

Altaria took to the sky, and we were soon high enough to see a good lot of Kanto. I pointed in the vague direction I knew Saffron City to be, and Altaria flew in that direction. We landed after roughly thirty minutes of flying, and I spent most of that time admiring the scenery around me. It was dark when I reached Saffron, and I still didn’t really know where I was going. Spotting the neon orange roof of the Pokémon Centre, I headed towards the brightly lit building. Checking my PokéNav, I discovered it was 10:49- the Centre would be closing soon, so I was glad to have made it in time.

“One room, please.” I leaned against the counter.  
  
“I’m sorry, but we are all booked up!” Nurse Joy apologised. I was shocked. Was Iris really this popular? Clearly she was, because all the seats in the lobby were also taken up by groups of Trainers. “You could try to get into one of the hotels in town, but I would guess they’re also all booked up.”

“It’s fine. Thank you for your help anyway.” I left the Pokémon Centre angrily, storming out into the dimly lit street.

Cursing my luck, I wandered the streets for another hour, before deciding I would just have to sleep in some secluded corner of the City. Oh well, at least I had Blaziken with me- I could release him for warmth. I was about to leave when I heard hushed voices coming from a nearby alleyway.

“This way, Champion Iris,” a low voice encouraged. I sidled along the wall, trying to see if it actually was the champion. I knew for a fact that the alley they were attempting to sneak down lead to a dead end- I had discovered this on my walk earlier.

“I really don’t think this is the right way, Drayden!” A more feminine voice answered.  
  
“Don’t dare say anything about your instincts, young lady. My map reading skills are telling me this is the way to go,” the first voice, presumably Drayden answered.  
  
“It’s a dead end. We’re lost!” The champion sighed. Stuck in place, I didn’t dare move while they came out of the alley.

‘If you weren’t trying to sneak me into the hotel at nearly midnight, this wouldn’t be happening! We could’ve asked a local!”  
  
“They would just have asked for an autograph, you know what they’re like.”  
  
“And you know I don’t mind that, gramps! Ugh, we’re lost, and I want to go to bed. I hate this city.”  
  
The two emerged from the tiny side street, surveying the area. I dropped my head, pulling out my PokéNav. At least I could pretend like I wasn’t listening in on their conversation.

“Hey! You!” The man yelled at me.  
  
“Huh? Me?” I put my PokéNav in my bag, pointing at myself for extra emphasis.

“You must be from around here to be loitering so late at night. Can you tell-“

“Hey!” The girl burst forward, the hood of her pale yellow jumper falling down to reveal her long purple hair. “I know you!”  
  
“You do?” I asked incredulously. Of course I knew who _she_ was- this was most definitely Iris.  
  
“Yeah! You’re that May girl. Newest Champion of Hoenn, you were inaugurated a couple months ago!” She grabbed my hand, shaking it enthusiastically. “It’s an honour to meet you. I saw the deciding battle on the TV- it was super cool! You’re such a good battler.” She only stopped when the man with her cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry,” She coughed, stepping back in line with the older man. “I am Champion Iris of Unova, and this is one of the Unovan Gym Leaders, Drayden. We’re… lost. Could you tell us how to get to our hotel?”  
  
“Well, I’m not from around here, but I can certainly try to help you out.”

“Thank you so much! Hear that gramps!” She elbowed the older man in the side. “May’s gonna help us out!”  
  
“Brilliant. Can you hurry and show us the way to the hotel please? Iris has a big day ahead of her tomorrow.”  
  
“Sure. Follow me.” I was pretty sure which hotel they were talking about from the alley they were attempting to go down. The next alley would’ve taken them there, but they weren’t to know that. I walked a few steps in front of them, separating myself from them. This wasn’t to be for too long however, as Iris upped her speed so she could walk beside me.  
  
“Hey, I heard you train an Altaria,” she quipped, sticking her hands in the pockets of her hoodie.

“Uh. Yeah, I do.” I couldn’t really tell where she was going with this.

“I have a great interest in Dragon types. Do you think you could show me it?” She seemed so excited, and I couldn’t say no to her. So I threw Altaria’s Pokéball into the middle of the footpath, where the Pokémon landed serenely in front of Iris.

“Wow! It looks so strong!” She petted it on the head, receiving chirps of happiness from Altaria. There was a nod of approval from behind me, and I turned to see Drayden nodding his head.

“It is definitely well trained.”  
  
“T-thanks!” I stuttered, not knowing what to say under this man’s intense glare. “Anyway, we should get going. I’m sure you have to be up early tomorrow.” I returned Altaria to her Pokéball, getting a dejected sigh from Iris. She was definitely younger than me, I concluded, and she definitely acted her age, unlike I did when I was her age.

I led them to the hotel, where Iris insisted I stay with them in the Champion suite for helping them out.  
  
“I couldn’t. Really. It was nice enough to meet you.”  
  
“But aren’t you taking part in the meet and greet tomorrow?”  
  
“What?”  
  
“It’s kinda unorganised, but we were trying to get at least one champion or former champion from each region to come with me. Y’know, take the spotlight off a bit. Didn’t you get an invitation?” I thought about it? Did I? No, definitely not. In fact, if any invitation had been sent, it was probably still wedged in the post-box at the League. Steven was in charge of emptying the post-box and sorting everything out, and I guessed that since he wasn’t there, it hadn’t been sorted in a good while. Oops.

“Uh, no. Since I job share with Steven, he probably forgot to give it to me. Is he not coming though?”  
  
“No, he said he wouldn’t be in the region, so he wouldn’t be coming. So we need you as Hoenn champ instead!”

I accepted, albeit begrudgingly. Iris went to bed after that, and I was left in the tiny bedroom at the side of the Champion Suite.

 

* * *

 

I was woken up by Drayden hammering on the door the next morning.

 “Champion May! We have to be out there in an hour!” I sat bolt upright, grabbing my PokéNav from the nightstand. Sure enough, I’d slept in. And I now had less than an hour to make myself presentable.

 “I’m awake!” I yelled, and I sighed in relief as I heard his footsteps walking away.

I lifted the only slightly formal dress from my bag, holding it up to myself in front of the mirror. It was coral coloured, sat just above the knee and had a flowing skirt. Truth be told, I had brought it for if and when I found Steven, but duty called, and I would have to wear it now instead. I stole the perfume from the en suite, liberally spraying myself with it. I ran a brush through my hair, and brushed mascara onto my eyelids. With a slick of lip-gloss and strappy high-heeled sandals, I was as presentable as I was going to get. I folded my pyjamas into my bag, and left the room as tidy as possible. Once I got into the hallway though, I heard a familiar groan from Iris’s room. 

“Um, Iris? Are you okay?” I asked through the door, leaning ever so gently on the handle.  
  
“May! Please, come in and help me!” I flung open the door to see Iris sat in front of a mirror, her ever-famous champion dress surrounding her.  
  
“I got into my dress fine this time, but I have no idea what to with my hair and makeup! I had Elesa with me for my inauguration, but now it’s just me and I have no idea what to do!”  
  
“Alright, calm down!” I moved toward her, taking lengths of her long purple hair in my hands. “You just sit still. I’ll do my best to do something nice.” Fortunately, I had seen what Iris’s hair was like at her inauguration, and I tried by best to emulate that style. I pulled the bulk of it into a high ponytail, leaving some of the front down to do more styling with. I took the front most sections and looped them round, clipping them in near the ponytail. I then used more pins to clip Iris’s hair up, crowning her with the tiara she so often wore. Spraying her whole head with hairspray, I stepped back. “Is that okay?”  
  
“It’s brilliant! Now, we have for minutes until we have to be out there. Can you do my make up in that time?” She pleaded, and I grabbed the make-up brush from the dressing table. There wasn’t much time, so I evened out Iris’s skin tone, adding mascara on her already long eyelashes, and carefully lining her eyes with eyeliner.

“Lipstick?” I asked.

“Nope. I hate wearing the rest of it, but it’s in my contracts, so I have no choice. Thank you May.” She stood up, tottering even in her tiny heels. “You’re a life saver. You better go down now. They expect the rest of the champions out there before Drayden and I arrive.”

I practically sprinted down stairs, checking my hair at the mirror in the stairwell before emerging into the lobby. From there, I walked confidently into the street, where a huge stage had been erected since last night. There were seven seats on it, six of them already filled. I eyed the others, knowing they were also all champions. I recognised Lance, and the younger boy seated beside him I assumed was Blue Oak. Iris wasn’t lying when they said ex-champions- Lyra was nowhere in sight. There was an empty seat between them and the next guest, which I assumed was for me. There was a boy with blonde hair who I had never seen in my life, impatiently tapping his foot against the stage. On the next seat sat Diantha, film star and reigning Kalos champion. Beside her was Drayden, and the next seat, closest to the podium was empty- presumably for Iris.

“And there she is now, folks! Champion May! A surprise guest indeed- we didn’t have word of her being here until just this morning!” An announcer, who I couldn’t see, called my name, and I walked onto the stage, waving politely at the fans. I sat myself down, crossing my legs and smoothing my dress out. Blue Oak stuck his hand out to me, which I shook, looking at him confusedly.

“I’m Blue. Former champion of the Indigo League, for all of-“  
  
“Twenty three hours, yes, I know.”

“I don’t believe we’ve met before. Camera shy?”  
  
“I tend to leave all the PR stuff to Steven. He’s much better at it than I am.” Steven was much better at everything than I was, but I didn’t mention that.  
  
“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you regardless. Are you doing the whole tour?” I shook my head. This would be a one off- I had to find Steven. “That’s a shame. I was hoping you would join this gang, but it’s not to be. Not even for Hoenn? You’ll be expected to join in there, you know.”  
  
“Maybe.” He was starting to annoy me, but I tried not to let it show.  
  
“Have you met everyone before?”  
  
“No,” I responded, folding my legs over the opposite way. “No one, in fact.”  
  
“Well, that’s Lance beside me.” He gestured to the man in the cape, who nodded at me.

“I’m sure you’ve heard of Diantha.” At the mention of her name, the woman turned from her conversation with Drayden and offered her hand to me.  
  
“A pleasure, Champion May,” she drawled, her accent thick and hard to understand. I merely nodded in response.  
  
“And the boy beside you is from Sinnoh.”  
  
“I’m Barry!” He interrupted, holding his hand out. I took it gingerly, but her shook very enthusiastically, just as I had feared. “Former Champion of Hoenn. Cynthia let me have the Champion position for a few months, but I think she got bored and then she rematched –“  
  
“And now, the star of the show herself, the Girl Who Knows The Hearts Of Dragons, the Champion of Unova, Iris!”

Iris emerged from the crowd, and scaled the steps, her hair still intact, much to my relief. She took her position at the podium, and I settled back in my chair, ready for all the speeches.  
  
The talking didn’t last as long as I had thought it would, which I was eternally thankful for. I wanted to be in Johto by tonight, but as the day dragged on, that looked more and more unlikely. The question and answer session was not fun. Not only were the questions directed at Iris, but they were directed at everyone, so any of us could be called to the podium at any time.

“This question is for Champion May!” The announcer called out, and I stood up for the first time in hours, making my way towards the podium. At least I wasn’t first- that would’ve been a lot worse. 

“This question comes from a Chloe from Cerulean City! She includes the note that she is a big fan of yours!” I smiled, waving at the camera that was directly in front of me. “She asks: Champion May, what exactly is your relationship with Steven Stone?” A chorus of ‘ooh’s go up from the audience, and I have to concentrate to stop my face from flushing the same colour as my dress.

“Champion Steven watched over me while I was on my journey, and acted as a mentor. As such, we are close friends.” There was an audible ‘aw’, and I shook my head apologetically before sitting down. I felt bad for lying- if Steven was watching this, which he probably was, wherever he was, what would he think? I composed myself again, before baring the brunt of the rest of the questions.

 

* * *

 

 

“You’re leaving already?” Iris complained, taking the clips from her hair.  
  
“I’m sorry, but I have a lot to do at the moment. When’s the date of your Hoenn visit though? I’ll be sure to be there!” Iris handed me a copy of her calendar, which I slid into my bag. “Good luck with your Johto show!” 

I left in a hurry. it was already late afternoon and Altaria would have to fly fast if we were to get to Johto in time for the Pokémon Centre closing. Thankfully, Altaria knew we were in a rush, so she flew as fast as she could. We took a ten minute break outside the Pokémon League, where I grabbed a Soda Pop from the vending machine. We took off again immediately after that, landing in the centre of Hoenn and my former home, Goldenrod City.

“This is familiar!” I told Altaria, who cawed gently in response. I returned her to her Pokéball, trudging inside the Pokémon Centre doors.

“Welcome! How can I help… Champion May! How nice to see you! You’ve certainly grown up a lot.”

“I have indeed. One room please, Nurse Joy.” She handed me the key, and I thanked her before locating my room.

Morning came quicker than I would’ve liked, and the bright light streamed through the window, directly into my eyes, forcing me to get up. Today I would visit the Ruins of Alph, and then be on my way tomorrow for the boat over to Sinnoh. I had to get a long way in such a short time, considering I was expected back in Hoenn for that leg of Iris’s introductory tour in two weeks. I dressed myself quickly, and grabbed my bag and room key. I threw it over the desk at Nurse Joy, who yelled a thank you on my way out.

I knew for a fact that the boat for Sinnoh left at two and six pm, and I decided on taking the later ferry. The ruins weren’t huge, but I needed to give myself enough time to get to Olivine if Steven wasn’t in fact there. I ran out of the city and through National Park. It was good exercise, all this searching, at least. I ended up at the ruins pretty quickly early, and in my enthusiasm, I ran straight into someone, causing us both to fall backwards. As I sat on the dusty ground, rubbing my back, a figure came over to me.  
  
“I am so sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was going! Are you okay?” The person- a girl, I discovered, once I looked up- offered a hand to me, which I gladly accepted. Once I had dusted myself off, I got a good look at the girl.  
  
“Hey!” She exclaimed excitedly. “You’re May!”

“And you’re Lyra! Oh my Arceus. This is so surreal. I’ve dreamed of meeting you, since I was like, twelve!” This probably made me sound really uncool- I was two years older than her, and I was in tears. But this girl was such an inspiration to me- I couldn’t help but get over excited.

“Hey hey! No need for tears!” She reached into her bag, taking out a tissue and offering it to me

“Thank you. Ugh, I’m sorry,” I said, dabbing the tears with the tissue, “I watched you compete in the Pokéathlon when I was younger. I always wanted to meet you, and when I saw you’d become the champion, I was even more in awe of you. I mean, you’re younger than me, and people make a big deal out of me being league champion before I was twenty. What were you, eleven?”  
  
“I’d been around Pokémon all my life,” she explained. “But hey, what are you doing in the Ruins of Alph? There’s not much here to look at, trust me.”

 “I’m looking for a friend. Have you seen-“

“Steven?” She interrupted, her eyes narrowing and a sly smirk appearing on her mouth. “He was here a few weeks ago. Said he was going to Sinnoh. I’ve been checking up on this place a lot, and I bumped into him. Not like I bumped into you, but you get what I mean.”

“Thank you, Lyra. That was some very useful information you gave me.”  
  
“No problem. Hey, what you said on the TV yesterday wasn’t true, was it? There’s no way I would go chasing someone across the regions if we were just ‘close friends’.”  
  
I sighed. “It’s complicated.”

“Fair enough. Well, I best be going. I’m meeting a friend for lunch, so I’ll catch you some other time!” Lyra pulled me into a tight hug, which I did my best to reciprocate.

“Bye! And thank you for telling me!”      

With the extra few hours I had gained from talking to Lyra instead of searching the ruins myself, I wandered around Goldenrod City, taking in all the sights I used to see. The game corner was still there, and after one go at Voltorb Flip, I determined that I still wasn’t particularly good at logic games. The department store was also still there, towering over every other building in the city. I would’ve gone in, but the thought of scaling the stairs made me want to cry. Maybe another time I could visit, but it would have to wait Besides, all I ever bought in the department store was stuff for my secret base and as far as I knew, they didn’t have those in Johto. I bought myself a sandwich in the underground- there was probably something illegal in it, but it tasted really, _really_ good. 

As I called Altaria out, I checked the time on my PokéNav. It was just gone five o’clock, which gave me plenty of time to get to Olivine and buy a ticket before I boarded the ship. I jumped on Altaria’s back, and she ascended, I took one last look at the city where I had grown up. It was an almost melancholic glance, as I wasn’t too bothered. Hoenn was my home now, and that’s where all my responsibility lay.

“One ticket to Sinnoh please,” I asked, placing my money on the counter. I was handed the slip of paper along with a friendly smile from the receptionist.

“The journey to Sinnoh lasts one day,” he explained, “there is a first class restaurant, swimming pool, library, battleground and many more facilities on board. I hope you enjoy your trip!”

I boarded the ferry, handing my ticket to the woman there. She gave me the same friendly smile, and showed me to my cabin. I had never been on a boat this huge before- when we went to Hoenn, it was by air, and the shuttle to the Battle Resort was just that- a shuttle. Small, but fast. My cabin was a whole different story. The bed was big enough for three people, never mind just me. The window looked out onto the deck, where I could see small kids running around. There was a wardrobe, a huge TV and a bedside table, which was honestly more furniture than I had in my room at home.

“I trust you like it?”  
  
“It’s great, thank you.” With a simple nod, the woman left. I slowly backed into the bed, sitting down gently on the edge. I didn’t really know what to do with myself. The PokéNav informed me it was now 5:30- I still had half an hour to wait until the boat even left the harbour. I decided to sit right where I was. I switched apps on the PokéNav to the BuzzNav function.

“Breaking news!” The anchor’s voice screamed, and I turned the volume down so as not to deafen myself. “Reports are coming in that a second member of the Hoenn Pokémon League has disappeared.” _What?_ I sat up, leaning my back against the headrest of the bed. “Rumour has it that May Maple, current Hoenn Champion, has mysteriously disappeared. She made an impromptu appearance in Saffron City two days ago, but hasn’t been seen since. No missing person’s report has been filed, but suspicion has filled the Pokémon League air since interim Champion, Steven Stone’s disappearance nearly three months ago.”

Wait, they were counting Steven’s departure as a disappearance? That was news to me. Sure, his whereabouts were unknown, but he wasn’t dead or anything. He had left me a note! Then again, I hadn’t told anyone about said note, so no one knew that he was in fact, most likely, perfectly safe.

“We’re outside May’s house right now! Over to you, Gabby!” I recognised Gabby from her short brown hair and signature microphone. She had interviewed me during my journey, and she didn’t come of too badly.

“Thank you, Kinsey! yes, we’re here live from Littleroot Town, with Mrs Maple! What do you have to say on the subject of your daughter’s disappearance?”  
  
“Well…” my mother stammered, “She said she was going travelling about a week ago, and she would only be back when she completed her goal. Truth be told, I’m not too worried about her, she’s a determined girl!”  
  
“And there you have it folks! ‘Not too worried!’ Is our beloved Champion safe? Or do we as a region have something to worry about?” I rolled my eyes. They were blowing this way out of proportion.

“Thank you Gabby! Here in the Mauville Studio with us, we have Poké Fan Colton, who claims to be an expert on our current champion’s behaviour!” I rolled my eyes again. This was going to be a load of shit, but I decided to watch anyway to put in the time.

“Thank you for having me, Kinsey.”  
  
“Now, tell me. Why do you think our champions have mysteriously upped and left?”  
  
“Well, the fact that they are both missing at the same time suggests one very obvious thing that I’m surprised you haven’t picked up on here at BuzzNav. Clearly, they’ve eloped!” I threw my head back, hitting it hard on the headboard behind me. That was brilliant. Now the whole nation, including my parents, were going to think I had eloped with Steven.

“But May was seen alone on Wednesday at the Kanto leg of Iris’s inauguration tour! How does this behaviour suggest the two have ran away together?”  
  
“Well, they could be separate. Since it was a widely televised event, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were trying to remain as incognito as possible. Obviously, their relationship would be slightly frowned upon, as members of League working together, not to mention disappointing for all the people hoping to date either one of them.” I made some sort of obscure gagging noise. I had never met this man before- how did he have any right to comment on my behaviour?

The intercom on the boat turned on, announcing that it was now six o’clock and the boat would be leaving. At that, the boat did as the voice promised, and I could feel the waves moving the boat out of the port. Turning my attention back to BuzzNav, I quickly switched apps, to the phone function. Luckily, I had the number for the BuzzNav live call line, and I knew they were going to that section of their show soon. I pressed the call button.

“Hello, you’ve reached the BuzzNav live call line! You will be first on the show. Please listen carefully to the questions asked of you, and do not deviate from the question. please stay on the line!” The hold music started up, and I set the PokéNav down on the sheets beside my thigh. After thirty seconds, it came to life, with the voice of Kinsey, the anchor.

“Hello! Caller on line one! What is your name, and where are you from!”  
  
“Hi!” I said, in the voice that I used for the few TV interviews I had given. “My name is May, and I’m from Goldenrod City, but I currently reside in Littleroot Town.”  
  
“Wait! Champion May is on line one! May, everyone is so worried about you!”  
  
“I doubt that. I think you at BuzzNav are trying to make a story out of something that isn’t one. As my mother said earlier in the show, I am travelling. I’m currently on a boat on the way to Sinnoh. I have certainly not eloped with Steven, thank you very much, Poké Fan Colton!” I spat into the phone. I was taking no prisoners with this. “You’ve offended me greatly, and I will not be giving any more interviews for your channel in the foreseeable future! Thank you very much for your time.” I hit end call and speedily switched back to the BuzzNav function to see the faces of the reporters.

“And that… was Champion May, everybody. She seems to be safe from harm, and as feisty as ever!” The woman gave a nervous laugh. “Anyway, that’s all we have time for today on Hoenn News Daily! Please join us next time!” She managed to regain her composure as she delivered her final line, giving a smile as the camera panned out. I threw the PokéNav on the bed angrily, and stormed out of the room.

* * *

As the receptionist in Olivine had said, there was plenty to do on board, so I managed to amuse myself until the ferry docked in Sunyshore City the next day. I was annoyed at the location we had ended up in- it wasn’t particularly near anyway I wanted to be. I checked into the Pokémon Centre that evening, managing to avoid being asked for pictures and autographs. I lifted the map out of my bag, unfolding the Sinnoh section. Oreburgh City, Celestic Town and Canalave were all pretty far away, but I decided going to Celestic first was my best but. There was a small cave connecting it and Eterna City, and I could take the cycling road from there down to Oreburgh. I had never stepped foot in Sinnoh in my life, and walking was the easiest way to get about- I could follow signposts that way.

I left as soon as I woke up, packing my bag and tidying the room. Despite my decision to walk, it was quite far to Celestic Town, so I called Altaria out.

“I don’t really know where we’re going, but I’ll try to guide you the best I can using the map, okay?” I balanced the map on my knees as we flew, counting towns and outlying buildings that were marked on the map. 

“I think that’s the Lost Tower, Altaria! And then that must be Solaceon Town…” Altaria chirped in response. “I think we’re pretty close by. According to the map, Celestic is just over that mountain…” 

It was barely a mountain at all, just a large hill. But Altaria managed to follow my directions, and we landed just outside a small town ten minutes later. I returned Altaria to her Pokéball, reading the sign. Sure enough, it said ‘Celestic Town: The Past Lives.” It was nice to see that Sinnoh also had cheesy descriptions for their towns, just like in Hoenn.

The town was extremely quiet, and I didn’t really know where I was supposed to go. I wandered around the quaint town for a while, before coming to a large building, which seemed like some kind of town hall. I knocked on the door, hoping the person inside would at least be able to give me some directions. However, the person the opened said door wasn’t who I had expected.  
  
“Cynthia?” I was shocked- I wouldn’t have expected her to even be opening doors, never mind be living in the central house in town. “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t know you lived here.”  
  
“It’s okay. You don’t look like a Sinnoh native, so you wouldn’t have known.” She was clearly referring to the way I was dressed- my shorts and vest top weren’t keeping me warm enough, I had to admit.

“I’m from Hoenn,” I explained.

“Why don’t you come inside? You look like you need a rest.” She held the door open for me, and in my confused state, I wandered inside. “Sit down. I’ll make some tea.”  
  
I did as she told, sitting awkwardly on one of her sofas. Her house reminded me of Steven’s- it was sparsely decorated, but unlike Steven’s, it had books _everywhere_. Two of the walls were covered in them, and it wouldn’t have surprised me if she had another whole room dedicated to them upstairs. Cynthia returned with two cups of tea quickly after this, setting them on the table.

“What’s your name, trainer from Hoenn?” She sat herself down in the chair opposite, folding her legs over.

“May.”  
  
“Oh, you’re that May. Champion May? Yes, I’ve heard a lot about you. She lifted her tea, sipping it carefully.

“Have you?” It was more of a rhetorical question, but Cynthia nodded her head anyway.  
  
“What brings you to Sinnoh?” She really wasn’t letting up the questions.

“I’m… looking for a friend of mine.”  
  
“Steven?” I swallowed my tea quickly, burning my tongue.

“Yes.” I couldn’t deny it; it was obvious she knew.

“He’s how I’ve heard about you. He was here about a week ago.”  
  
“Really?” My voice squeaked at the end of the word, making me sound like a child. I cursed myself internally for this. Cynthia laughed, setting her tea down and crossing her arms.

“We’ve been friends for a long time, me and Steven. We dated for a while, in fact. Before he became champion.” I added this to my list of ‘things to ask Steven’. He had never mentioned this before.

“Ah. Do you know where he went to?”  
  
“No. He didn’t mention it. He looked really tired though. I’m pretty sure he’s been travelling a lot. He did mention he was heading to Unova next, if that’s any help.”

“Mm. Thanks.” I hid my face  behind my mug. There was a good chance Steven was still in Sinnoh, if he had passed through here just a week ago. And anyway, I knew for a fact where he was headed next, so my visit to Celestic Town wasn’t a waste of time.

“Ah, before I forget! You should come to the Hoenn leg of Iris’s inauguration tour. It’d be… uh, really cool to see you.”  
  
“I’ll think about it,” Cynthia laughed.

I bid Cynthia goodbye after finishing my tea. At the door, she thought of something to tell me.

“He talked about you a lot while he was here. I think he really loves you, you know? I’ve never seen him get like that before.” I smiled despite myself. I didn’t want to be told this by Cynthia, but it was nice to hear it regardless.

 

* * *

 

 

I headed east; through the cave that was part of Mt. Coronet. It was particularly cold in the cave, and I was angry with myself for not thinking that the weather changed in other regions. I emerged in Eterna City just like I thought I would, deciding not to stay any length of time in the city. I’m sure it was great, but I had more pressing matters to attend to. I followed the signs for ‘Cycling Road’. I hoped they would let me go with my Mach Bike, but they might be too fast for the cycling road. Thankfully for me, I got on, and laughed in the faces of cyclists who were training there. I whizzed past them, much faster than any of them were going. This moment of laughter made the day so much better.

I continued to head south, finding Oreburgh City was a lot closer than I originally anticipated. I headed straight for the mines, dismounting my bike. There were a lot of workers around, and I didn’t want to disturb them, but I couldn’t imagine that I had any chance of getting into the mine.

“Excuse me?” I asked one worker, who didn’t seem to be doing much.  
  
“What can I help you with?”

“Have you seen a man come into the mine? He was probably wearing a suit, and he has silvery blue hair?” I knew it was unlikely that this man had even seen him, but it was worth a shot.

“Yeah!” Wow. Okay. “He came here a couple days ago. Maybe on Wednesday?” Wednesday… that’s when I was in Kanto. Today was Monday… was he still here? “Haven’t seen him since! And listen, you’re not the first girl to come looking for him. Got the local girls all in a tizzy, he did.”  
  
“I know him personally. I can assure you I am not in a ‘tizzy’.”  
  
“Whatever you say! I’m not sure where he is now though, love. Good luck looking for him!”

I sighed as he walked away, presumably back to work. I walked the opposite direction, wondering what to do. I could probably make it to Canalave before it got dark, but there was no way I was getting to Iron Island today. I decided I would go anyway, and I could check out Iron Island tomorrow first thing. I left the city via the west, through a small cave I heard people calling the Oreburgh Tunnel. The route on the other side of it was beautiful- quiet and serene, just like the routes near Littleroot. By the age of the kids running around, I assumed that they were just starting on their journeys. I noticed a few kids having battles, and I smiled in their direction, yelling that they were doing a good job.

I came to Jubilife City as I walked west, a city with huge buildings not unlike the ones in Goldenrod. As soon as I crossed the threshold of the city, a man with a microphone jumped in front of me, and I instinctively backed away!

“Live from Jubilife TV! It’s Sinnoh… NOW!” He elongated the end of ‘Sinnoh’, announcing this to the camera. “I’ve just found a very important person! It’s May, the current Champion of Hoenn! She’s in Jubilife City right this very moment, and I’m super excited to see her! May, why are you visiting Sinnoh?”  
  
“No comment.” I pushed past him, annoyed at the attention I was getting. I really hoped that I would find Steven soon; the media were really starting to get on my nerves. I walked quickly through the centre of the city, ignoring the stares I was getting from the people gathered. There were a lot of them outside what I assumed to be Jubilife TV Station, where a huge screen was showing the man I had been ambushed by. I continued walking, holding my head down and staring at the ground beneath me. I wasn’t a big fan of the media anyway, but being interviewed in a region other than my own was something I didn’t particularly want to participate in.

I took a breather in the small room separating Jubilife and the route beyond it, leaning against the wall. I didn’t want to revisit Jubilife again, I decided. I hadn’t even been in the capital of Sinnoh, and if Jubilife was so busy, I didn’t want to see what Hearthome City was like.

The next route I came to was completely covered in water, which surprised me. I called out Sharpedo, the water type landing in the middle of the lake.

 “Alright! Time to use Surf!” Sharpedo snapped its teeth together in understanding, and I jumped aboard it’s back, balancing carefully as it swam towards the dry land on the other side of the lake. the sun was setting by this point in the day, casting a warm orange glow over the bay. 

Sharpedo’s speed got us there relatively quickly, and I gratefully returned it to its Pokéball. A sailor stood by the lake right in the middle of the path, and I decided to ask him for directions.

“Um.. am I going the right way for Canalave City?”  
  
“Sure are!” He seemed jolly, which made it so much easier for me. I’d had a lot of scary people to deal with while in Hoenn, and seeing friendly people in other regions put my mind at ease. “Down the path there and to your right! Then through the gate and you’re in Canalave!”  
  
“Thank you very much!” I called, scampering away from him in the direction he had pointed me in. 

Canalave City was beautiful. For being a port town, there was only one boat moored in the harbour, and with the sun setting, the clouds were tinted various shades of pink and orange. I made my way to the Pokémon Centre, walking slowly to take in the whole town. The architecture was really nice too, with houses dotted beside the canal on both sides. There was a drawbridge opposite the Pokémon Centre, allowing pedestrians to reach the other side of the city. There was a huge library on the other side of the water too; towering serenely above the rest of the buildings in the city.

I entered the Pokémon Centre, which was similar to all the other centres I had been in so far in Sinnoh.  
  
“Can I get a room for tonight?” I asked Nurse Joy, who’s face fell when I asked.

“We’re all full, I’m afraid. However, if you can find a sofa you’re more than welcome to crash on of them.”  
  
“Thanks.” I turned sharply, surveying the room. There was an empty sofa not to far from the desk that I snatched up, lying down as to cover the whole sofa. I didn’t want anyone else trying to squish on the sofa with me, thank you very much. I fished through my bag for my PokéNav, switching it on to the BuzzNav app. Despite my previous anger at the channel, I was still going to watch their shows- I was hooked. I turned on at TM Hour, so I was only half listening to the man presenting the show (he had a very boring voice). With the other half of my attention, I surveyed the room, taking in all the trainers. This was a particular hobby of mine- I enjoyed guessing what sort of Pokémon other people trained based on their appearances. I would never find out what they trained, but that was half of the fun. Sometimes they would stick in my mind for a while, and I would have to mentally push them out of my brain.

I paid attention to what they were talking about too today. I caught flashes of conversations- who was winning the super contests, who had just won their gym badge, who had seen the champion who was in town. I paid more attention at this point, subtly turning the volume on my PokéNav right down. There was a champion in town? It couldn’t be Cynthia- I had seen her just this morning, and she didn’t look like she was going anywhere. I doubted they were talking about me- they would’ve asked for an autograph by now. I listened carefully to the two girls perched on the sofa in front of me. Their giggling was enough for me to be suspicious (if that was even the right word).

“Did you see him? He came of the boat for Iron Island a few hours ago, then called out his Skarmory and flew off!”  
  
“I heard he’s staying at the Lakeside resort!” Another boy came up and sat opposite them. I already heard what I needed- I knew Steven was the only Champion with a Skarmory. Needless to say, I was feeling pretty pleased with myself for coming up with Iron Island as a destination.  
  
“I got his autograph!” The boy boasted, holding up a partially torn piece of paper. “He told me he’ll be back tomorrow. He didn’t find out what he wanted on Iron Island, so he has to come back!” _Good._ At least I knew what to do tomorrow then.

“Why was Steven talking to _you_?” I couldn’t help myself. The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. All three of the younger trainers whipped around, staring at me.

“You say that like you’ve had many personal conversations with him,” the boy said, obviously hurt at my comment.

“I… I have.” This was obvious to me, but clearly these trainers didn’t know who I was.

“Name one fact an ordinary champion fan wouldn’t know! If you’re such a super fan,  you must know something different!” This boy was really getting defensive, and I had to think hard to name something about Steven that he wouldn’t know. The first thing that came into my mind was that he had kissed me, but clearly that wasn’t something I was willing to say to an eleven year old.

“He… uh, he left on his Pokémon journey two years late because his father wanted him to stay in school.” I tried to sound confident, but truthfully I couldn’t remember exactly if this was right or not.

“He said that in his interview for Trainers International last year. Anyone would know that!”

“He… he gave Champion May the Blazikenite she uses to Mega Evolve her Blaziken back when it was a Combusken.” Yes. This was a fact that he definitely wouldn’t know.

“Wow, really? How did you find that out? It’s not even a particularly important fact.”  
  
“Because….” Did I tell them? Yes, I would “Because I am Champion May. I work with him, and I know more about him than you could ever dream of knowing.” The boy’s mouth was now hanging open, and the girls were looking at me with wide eyes. I snorted, plugging my earphones into my PokéNav and putting them in my ears. Thankfully TM Hour was over, and I could successfully ignore the chants of the younger trainers.

I fell asleep after they stopped pestering me, which wasn’t too long after I started ignoring them. The sound of the PokéNav lulled me to sleep, and it was only when I awoke that I realised I had four missed calls. All of them from the one person I was looking for, Steven. He had left one voicemail, and I let it play.

“ _May, can you please call me back? I realise that it’s late in Hoenn, but I need to talk to you. I… yeah. Call me.”_

Nice and vague, just as was his style.

I didn’t call him back. I would see him today anyway, so I didn’t see the point. he probably was busy anyway- I woke up a lot later than I had intended to, and missed the only ferry to Iron Island. Clearly, I was more tired than I thought. The three kids I had been talking to the night before were still hanging about the Pokémon Centre, throwing curious looks my way. Were they waiting for me to wake up? If they were, they had probably watching me sleep as well, which really put me on edge. I got up, escaping to the shower rooms before they could ambush me.

I towel dried my hair after my shower, leaving the shower room with my hair still pretty damp. Despite this, I still tied my signature headband on, and flopped down on the sofa I had stayed the night on. My bag was still there thankfully, and I packed up, ready to leave. I noticed a sharp cough from behind me, and spun around to see the three kids from earlier still hanging about.

“What do you want?”  
  
“We saw Steven again,” one of the girls said, staring at her feet. Was she _blushing_? I knew Steven could have this effect on people, but eleven year olds. I rolled my eyes before responding.  
  
“And?”  
  
“He went to Iron Island,” The boy said, pushing past the two girls.  
  
“Okay. Good for him.” I stood up, walking away from them. “Have a nice day.” I didn’t really care whether they had a nice day or not, but whatever.

I knew that the only way to and from Iron Island was by boat, so I waited diligently by the port all day. I got a few stares after a while- I ended up being there for 5 hours before any ferries pulled in. I made friends with the man on the ticket counter. He was a Sailor, called Eldritch. His family lived by the port, and he had lived in Canalave all his life.

“Here to see that man?” He asked after I had been waiting for a while. I was good at waiting. Five hours was nothing compared to nine years.

“What man?” I asked, although I knew exactly which man he was referring to.  
  
“The one with the silver hair and the suit! He’s been to and fro Iron Island all week. And let me tell you, we’re raking in the money! So many people are following him. I guess that’s what a Pokémon Champion does to tourism. I tell ya, Iron Island is gonna be really busy the next while!”  
  
“Great.” I didn’t really care about the micro economy of Iron Island, but hey. If it was making this guy happy, then the least I could do was listen to his story.  
  
“Anyway, you didn’t answer my question. Are you here to see him or not?”  
  
“I guess.”  
  
“You guess?”  
  
“I’m not sure if I want to see him,” I laughed. “It’s been a while since I’ve spoken to him face to face.”  
  
“Wait, you know him? That’s something not everyone can say!” He laughed, a jolly, hearty laugh I had got used to over my few hours sitting here.

“Mhm.” I smiled at my knees. I knew him better than a lot of people, but there was still _so_ much I didn’t know.

“Despite the fact that you know him, you might have some trouble talking to him. There was a whole posse of girls hanging round him this morning! You’ll have to do a good job to get rid of them, lass!” His laugh was starting to annoy me. I flicked open the PokéNav, checking the time. 5:52. The boat was due in in eight minutes, but I wasn’t sure if I would last the eight minutes without imploding.

“Getting antsy?” The sailor spoke up again. I was honestly getting annoyed of his voice, so I declined to answer and stared of into the sunset. “He’ll come. Don’t worry.”  
  
“That’s not what I’m worried about. It’s what he’ll say when he does.” Was I telling this man all my problems? I was about to, that’s for sure. “He doesn’t know I’m here,” I explained.  
  
“Why don’t you give him a call?” He said, gesturing toward my PokéNav.  
  
“I’d rather keep the element of surprise.”  
  
The sailor shut up after this, and I stared out into the sea once more. After about a minute, the vague shape of the boat came into view. I panicked. I had spent so long sitting here, and I hadn’t even thought of what to say to him. As the ferry pulled in, I scooted out of the way, leaning against the railings that were keeping me from jumping in the river and swimming to a place where I could be saner. A whole gaggle of girls came of the boat in a huge clump, and I assumed this was the group Eldritch was referring to earlier. Finally, Steven emerged; tousling his hair and fixing his cravat- two things I knew he did when he was flustered. He checked his PokéNav (probably for calls from me, which weren’t there), and huffed as he put it back in his pocket. As his hand went to his Pokéballs, I spoke up.

“Nice to see you, old friend.” That sounded extremely dorky and like something from an old movie, but it came out of my mouth and that was enough. Steven turned around to the source of the noise (me), and stood completely still.

“Uh… hey.” I offered a wave. He continued to stare at me, as if he was trying to figure out if I was actually here or not. 

“How… How did you find me?” He asked incredulously. He was still rooted to the spot.

“Um… word travels fast in Sinnoh!” I laughed, a nervous shaky laugh. Suddenly, Steven rushed towards me, enveloping me in his arms. Now _this_ was something I had not predicted. I thought he would probably yell at me, or something. Hugging was definitely not on the list of things I would have expected.

“I missed you so much,” he whispered. I was still internally screaming from the hugging, and I didn’t dare open my mouth in case that became external screaming. instead, I snaked my arms around his back, returning his hug.

He held me at arms length, staring at me with those silvery eyes.  
  
“We need to talk.” Ah. There it was. “I’m staying at the Hotel Grand Lake near Sunyshore. Follow me.” He called out his Skarmory, and I called out Altaria, taking to the skies like we did so often in Hoenn.

 

* * *

 

His room wasn’t far from the reception, and he unlocked the door, holding it open for me to entre. The room was nice- it had a few sofas, a wardrobe and a bed, and Steven’s stuff was scattered about the room. He gestured towards the sofas, and I sat down. he sat opposite me, leaning his elbows on his knees.

 “Why did you come all the way out here?” He got straight to the point.

 “I…” Why did I come all the way out here? I was being selfish- I didn’t want to be in Hoenn on my own. I didn’t want Steven to leave just like that. I was angry- I didn’t even get a proper explanation. “I wanted to see you.”

  
“May, you could’ve waited for me to come back! It would’ve only been another month or so, and then I would’ve been back. And you could’ve called. We could’ve talked every day!”  
  
“It’s not the same, Steven. It’s not the same as actually _seeing_ you, face to face, every single day.” He put his face in his hands, rubbing his eyes. “I missed you too, I added, almost as an afterthought.

“Why didn’t you answer any of my calls yesterday?”  
  
“I was asleep. In fact, I was in the Canalave City Pokémon Centre. Steven, I’ve been all over looking for you. I’ve talked to people in Johto, Kanto, looking for you. You just left, and I was supposed to just accept that?” I could hear the anger in my voice rising. I watched Steven intently. He looked out the window, avoiding eye contact with me.

“I’m sorry,” he sighed. “There’s been a lot on my mind recently.”  
  
“Like what? Tell me, Steven.”  
  
“Well… you. I mean, I’d been in the champion position for a year and a half, and then you came along and beat me so easily. it’s like I was no match for you. Your Pokémon are so well trained, and I stand no chance against them. I wanted to become stronger so that I stood a chance of beating you.”  
  
“Steven…”  
  
“And the fact that I love you made it a hundred times worse. I felt like I wasn’t worthy of loving you until I was stronger. So I travelled across regions, training my Pokémon. I’ve met some pretty interesting people.”  
  
“I’m sure you have.” I could barely talk. He _had_ just confessed his love to me, in a sort of roundabout way, hadn’t he? I stared at my feet, my trainers muddy from all the walking I’d done as of late.

“So, I’ve explained myself,” he announced, standing up and running a hand through his hair. “I hope that was good enough for you.”  
  
“It was. Thank you.” I tried to smile, but I still didn’t lift my head. Steven sat down beside me on the sofa, taking one of my hands in his. This practically forced me to look at him.  
  
“You know I would never leave you, right?”  
  
I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure. On an impulse, I leaned in the few inched that were separating us, pressing my lips to his. Much to my surprise, he kissed me back, holding my face in his hand. When I pulled back, Steven kept his eyes closed for a moment before slowly opening them again.

“Let’s go home.”  
  
“Aren’t you going to Unova? And Kalos? Aren’t you still training?”  
  
“I’d rather go back to Hoenn and train with you.” He leaned back, rubbing the back of his head. “That sounded really cheesy, didn’t it?”  
  
“Yeah.” I laughed, the first genuine laugh since I had left Hoenn.  
  
“Let’s get going. There’s a boat to Hoenn at seven. If we hurry, we can make it.”

I watched as Steven packed up his room and returned the key to reception. He took my hand as we walked to Sunyshore to catch the ferry.

“Oh, and Steven?” He looked down at me, and I smiled. “I love you too.” 

* * *

"And there they are folks, Hoenn's most high profile couple! Champions May and Steven take to the stage to be seated among the ring of champions."

Taking on board Blue's advice, I dragged Steven along to the Hoenn leg of Iris's inauguration tour. We had left the hotel after all the rest of the champions (bar Iris, of course) because  _Steven_  took too long to get ready.

 

* * *

 

 

"May, are you sure my hair doesn't look too messy?"

"It looks the same as always, Steven. I doubt anyone is going to be looking at your hair anyway, since, y'know, today isn't about you?"

"This is my first formal appearance in three months, May."

"Well, I managed to do the Kanto leg with a dress that was screwed up in a ball at the bottom of my bag and eleven hours notice. And that was my first solo event, so you can just calm down." I slapped him gently on the arm, eliciting a sigh from him. He was wearing his usual suit (I told him to, after noticing the last day that the rest of the champions were wearing their standard outfits), and his fingers were adorned with rings. I, on the other hand, who didn't have a 'Champion Outfit', wore a floor length black dress, with a high neck and a slit up the side. This was obviously not my choice- Wallace had decided to intervene and declared my wardrobe a 'travesty'. I fiddled with my mega bracelet nervously, waiting for Steven to deem himself presentable.

"Are you ready to go, May?" He asked. When I nodded, his quickly patted his pockets, before holding his hand out to me.

 

* * *

 

 

We left the hotel holding hands (again, Wallace's idea) and the screams of the crowd deafened me. I avoided looking at Steven, merely smiling at the crowd and waving with my free hand. We took our places on the stage, sandwiched between Blue and Cynthia. Our fellow Champions nodded at us- and I was genuinely surprised at the lack of a snide remark from Blue Oak on my right. I dropped Steven's hand, crossing my legs at the ankle (even with the slit this dress was impossibly tight).

As Iris came out, she positively glowed- clearly the temperature of the Hoenn region was more akin to Unova- she looked much better here. She took to the podium.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is an honour to meet you all today!" A cheer went up from the crowd, and I watched Iris's facial expressions on the screen opposite us. She looked so happy to be here, and her positivity was having an effect on everyone in the area.

"Thank you all for coming, and thank you especially to our other champions! This is easily the most star studded panel we've had yet, and I'm sure you're all excited to meet them and ask questions."

I tuned Iris's voice out after this, getting comfy in my chair. I'd heard all this before in Saffron City, so I wasn't about to start listening again. I only began to pay attention when I received a sharp dig in the ribs from Steven. 

"Question and answer now. Be on guard. You know what they're going to ask, you especially." I nodded in response, dreading the thought of standing at the podium. They were going to call me out for lying the other week, and I had no reason to back myself up.

"We have time for ten questions today! And well, we all know what they're about!" The announcer yelled, as the big screen turned to a shot of Steven and me. Neither of us were smiling, so the camera quickly moved away. "We'll start with something else though, and save all that for later. Diantha! This first question is for you!"

Eight questions passed without either of us going to the podium. On question number nine, my name was called. I was not ready for this, even though I knew exactly what the question was going to be.

"May, this question comes from Jordan in Fortree City! He asks: why did you lie about your relationship with Mr Stone in the Kanto region?"

I rose gracefully, trying not to trip over my dress. I made it to the podium without falling over, which in my opinion was an achievement itself. I moved the microphone slowly, stalling for time as much as I could.

"I don't think I was lying completely in Kanto, dear Jordan in Fortree. There, I said that Steven was my mentor while I was on my journey, and that we were close friends. That wasn't a lie! Steven definitely did mentor me on my journey, and I didn't even know he was the Champion until I battled him," I looked to him for encouragement, and he nodded, a smile appearing on his face. 

"At the time, two weeks ago, in Kanto, Steven and I were just close friends. There were romantic feelings between us but we hadn't really acted on them. So no, there is no 'why did you lie'. I didn't. Simple. Besides, why are you asking these sorts of questions? This is Iris's tour, and honestly it has nothing to do with our relationship." I stormed away from the podium, managing once again not to trip on my dress. Steven reached over and gently squeezed my hand once I had sat down, giving me one of his almost forced smiles.

"Champion Steven! This next one is for you!" I watched as Steven made his way toward the platform. Blue leaned over from beside me.

"Nicely handled," he whispered.

"Thanks." I didn't look at him, staring at Steven via the screen.

"They ask a lot of questions about your love life. You're gonna have to get used to it."

"Thanks," I repeated, but more bitter and with more emphasis on the 'k'.

"Steven! So good to see you after all this time. Your question comes from Alice in Dewford Town. She asks: do you see yourself having a future with May?"

I couldn't stop my face from flushing at this despite my best efforts. The cameras must have picked up in this because suddenly I saw my face on the screen, and I glared at it.

"I have known May for a long time. I have seen her at her best times, and at her worst. She really is a wonderful person, but we have only been dating for two weeks, so obviously neither of us can predict where our relationship will go in the future." He sauntered back over to the seat, and I once again avoided looking at him. It was an excellent response- Steven was always much better at speaking than I was- but I didn't want to give the media any hints by even glancing at him. Fortunately, that was the end for us Champions, and we were free to go.

 

* * *

 

Back in the hotel room, I had changed from the tight dress into my usual shorts and vest top combination, and had flopped out on the bed. Steven had removed his suit jacket, and I had to stifle a laugh at him sitting there in just a waistcoat and shirt.

"Do you have any plans for tonight, May?"

"Nope. I was just gonna stay here. I'm not really in the mood for going out."

"I hear the Mauville Food Court is excellent." I sat up, glaring at him.

"Steven, they serve sandwiches there. It's more of a lunch place than a dinner place."

"Why don't we get food via room service?"

"Why don't we order a pizza?" Before he could say no, I dived for my bag, grabbed my PokéNav and had called the pizza company I knew to be nearby.

 "Why did you do that?" Steven complained.

"Because honestly, pizza is so much better than mini bottles of champagne and chocolate dipped strawberries."

"No, it's not. Besides, I was trying to be romantic," he grumbled, folding his hands up on his knees.

"Oh. I'm sorry then."

"It's fine. Here, let me go collect the pizza. I'll wait in the lobby for it." He planted a kiss on my forehead before leaving the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

I lay back on the bed. It had only been a week or so since we had arrived back from Sinnoh, and I was still tired from being over three regions in a week. At least I didn’t have to do this on my own- Steven had very graciously accepted my invitation.

Steven reappeared with the pizza moments later, looking rather pleased with himself. He set the pizza on the dressing table, and I squeezed beside him on the small stool.

"This isn't the best arrangement. Maybe we should've gone out for dinner after all"

"Don't worry. There'll be many more occasions when we can go out for dinner."

We devoured the rest of the pizza in silence, and I knew something was weighing on Steven's mind.

"Are you-"

"I'll go put this in the bin outside. I won't be a moment." He put his suit jacket back on, heading out and downstairs.

I was worried. Steven was often quiet, but I'd gotten used to his breathing patterns, and they were definitely off. Maybe something that was said at the panel earlier was bothering him? Was it what I had said? I pushed this thought to the back of my head as I heard Steven approaching the room again.

As I prepared to ask him, he flung the door open dramatically, threw himself to the floor and yelled, "Marry me!"

I then realised that he was on one knee, and the words made so much more sense. Still, how was I supposed to react to this?

"Sorry. I should've said that a lot more eloquently." He reached inside his suit jacket and pulled out a tiny velvet box- the same one he had stashed back in Canalave City. "May, will you marry me?" He opened the box to reveal a ring (surprise surprise) with a huge emerald cut into a diamond shape and held by the band.

"What?" I couldn't quite take him seriously. Only earlier was he saying we'd been together for such a short time and we couldn't see the future. Now he was down on one knee with a ring, and I said what?

"May," he repeated slowly, "please. Will you marry me?" He looked so happy, but also some mixture of expectant and nervous. I couldn't say no- not when I had loved this man as long as I had.

"Yes," I breathed. It seemed kind of anti climatic, but I got on the floor opposite Steven and wrapped my arms around his neck. "I love you so much, you know that?"

"I know," he laughed, "and I love you too."

I pulled away from him, and he took my hand, sliding the ring onto my finger.

"Did you know that emerald is your birthstone? And I mined the ore for your ring personally. It can only be found in Sinnoh!"

"Wait. Is that what you were doing on Iron Island? Mining for this?" I gestured at the ring.

 "Uh," he rubbed the back of his head, "I was training there, but then the idea came into my head, and it wouldn't go away."

"You are such an idiot, you know that?"

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve been writing this for over a week and it ended up a lot longer than anticipated. Anyway, I have a few things to say, so I’ll get right to that. 
> 
> 1\. The first part of this fic is a reflection of the prequel, waiting. I recommend you read that if you haven’t already!  
> 2\. The Nurse Joy in Fuchsia City was only put in for a laugh. I thought it would add more to her character- Nurse Joys in most fics aren’t really given a personality :c  
> 3\. I put Iris in because I love her. She’s definitely my favourite champion.  
> 4\. I also put in Lyra because I love her. This fix takes place in the same universe and just before one of my others, ‘Please Help Me’. So yeah. This might be referenced in there at some point.  
> 5\. The names I used on BuzzNav are all actual trainers. There is a reported Kinsey, and Gabby is part of the interviewers duo, Gabby and Ty. Poké Fan Colton is on the SS Aqua I think!  
> 6\. I do kinda like DarkSteelShipping, which is why I made Cynthia and Steven a former thing. Also, I always type Cynthia’s name as Cynthis. Idk why.  
> 7\. As for the proposal, I think this was kinda spur of the moment on Steven’s behalf. Also, they’re both adults and even though they’ve only been officially dating for two weeks they’ve been in love for two years. They’re soul mates. Fight me.
> 
> Thank you for reading this, and please leave a review! (There will be a third one to come at some point in the future!!)


End file.
